My Regrets Were My Old Friends
by liascribit
Summary: "Shutting the door behind him, his own eyes met two pairs that shot accusing, sharp looks at him. Eyes that were filled with hurt." A long-overdue reunion between a former captain and his subordinates. Set in episode 116.


**Hello world! **

**I like to have my headphones in when I write, and these lyrics came to mind. They were sort of the inspiration for this fic.**

"_**Regrets collect like old friends, here to relive your darkest moments."  
"I am done with my graceless heart, so tonight I'm gonna cut it out, and then restart"  
**_**-**_**Shake it Out**_**, by Florence and the Machine**

**By the way, this is set in episode 116.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach (otherwise these guys would've had a reunion in canon a long time ago!)**

**Without further ado, here it is!**

* * *

"Well, for the time being, I'll stay at Orihime's." Rangiku smiled, and placed her hand on her hip. "How mean of you to kick us out though."

"Whatever, just leave before you guys cause trouble," Ichigo replied with narrow eyes and a frown that creased into his forehead.

"Okay, out the window we go!" Rangiku started, before she was interrupted.

"I'll show you the front door instead, Vice Captain Matsumoto." Rukia interjected excitedly. "It's much more pleasant than jumping out a window in a gigai."

"Then front door it is! I don't want to risk getting my new uniform _filthy_." Yumichika crinkled his nose indignantly.

Rukia gave a quick glance to Ichigo, searching his face for a silent approval.

"I don't care," he sighed. "Just get them all out of my room."

And with that, he had the six shinigami leaving. Stress still burdened Ichigo's shoulders, however, and he collapsed on his bed, enjoying the temporarily quiet atmosphere of his room. He could hear their loud footsteps and realized with horror the rowdy bunch would probably meet his family on their way out.

Whatever.

* * *

"Rukia? Are you leaving so soon? We just saw you again!" Yuzu protested.

"No, I'm just showing Ichigo's friends the door!" Rukia replied cheerfully. It was nice being back in the World of the Living. Although '_friends'_ might not have been the best way to describe the relationship between Ichigo and the five shinigami whom she was escorting out.

"Oh right! His friends! His friends. His friends?" Yuzu rambled in confusion. "When did his friends come in?" she mumbled in question. Nevertheless, being the welcoming sister she was, Yuzu introduced herself to the uninvited guests.

"Hello Yuzu! I'm Rangiku-san, one of Ichigo's classmates. And we came in through the-" Rangiku was about to finish her sentence with _ceiling_, before her captain shot her a look that told her not to continue.

"Yuzu! What's all the noise?"

That voice. Rangiku and Hitsugaya looked at each other momentarily. No, it couldn't be.

_He disappeared a long time ago._

_It can't possibly be him._

_He's probably dead. _

"Dad! Come meet some of Ichigo's classmates!" Yuzu called out to her father.

The sound of footsteps matched the pace of their hearts. There is no way this man could be their former captain.

_Still,_ Rangiku thought, _I could recognize that voice from a mile away._

Coming into the room, Isshin Shiba greeted the seven people. Immediately he locked eyes with Hitsugaya and Matsumoto, and his face distorted into a sea of happiness and regret that gave the place an uncomfortable pressure.

If there was anything Isshin was good at, however, it was being positive.

"Hello Ichigo's friends! I'm his father, Isshin Kurosaki." He gave an enthusiastic smile to the gang.

Yumichika and Renji simply smiled responsively and introduced themselves. Ikkaku gave a grunt that might've meant something along the lines of 'hello'. They were all oblivious of this man's former standing in the Gotei 13.

Her gray eyes fluttered in every direction, and Rangiku couldn't process the sight in front of her. Words raced in her head.

_What the hell._

_Is this where you've been in all those years that you left us?_

_And you never even sent us a message._

_We were worried sick._

But before Rangiku could open her mouth to speak, her captain's voice replied to the thoughts that she never said.

"Matsumoto," he said quietly. _Don't speak, _it meant.

She narrowed her eyes. _Why not?_

He quickly glanced at Yuzu, still standing with her kitchen utensil next to her father.

Point taken.

But there were so many things that she wanted to say. And she was sure the little prodigy had something in his own mind as well.

Is this how they would finally reunite? A brief, meaningless but damaging exchange?

As Rukia ushered everyone out, and the shinigami dispersed, Isshin called back to his daughter.

"Yuzu, I'm just going to go for a walk okay? Take care of the clinic."

"But dad! It's the middle of the day." She frowned, but removed her apron and as always, cooperated with her father's whims.

Shutting the door behind him, his own eyes met two pairs that shot accusing, sharp looks at him.

Eyes that were filled with hurt.

* * *

Trying to lighten this hostile vibe, and ease the tension, Isshin did what he always did. Cracked a joke that was completely inappropriate for the moment.

"Rangiku-san, you look like you haven't aged a day!" He forced a laugh from himself. He had been sure this would've been given a painful reception, calling for a slap at the very least. But in her current mood, a punch or a kick wouldn't have been surprising either. But neither happened. Nothing happened.

Their eyes were still hurting, and for once in his life, Isshin had no clue what to say.

The silence had not been awkward, but rather long overdue. A few seconds later, Hitsugaya finally said something.

"Knock it off, Captain Shiba." He spoke wearily, letting his guard down momentarily to reveal the juvenile, childlike demeanors he had not gotten rid of, to the two people who knew him best.

Guilt struck Isshin. It hurt to see the pain he had caused his subordinates.

"I know you have a lot of questions to ask me. And I will answer all of them. But first and foremost, I would like to make it clear that I am sorry." He lowered his head slightly. "I really am sorry."

"I know. I am too," Rangiku replied.

"Wait- for what?" Isshin tilted his head in confusion.

"For this."

And Rangiku finally slapped him.

* * *

"So that's how it was. I gave up my shinigami powers to save Masaki. After all, she had saved _me._ How could I not return the favor when she needed me?" Isshin's eyes wandered around the park that the tenth squad trio was at.

"And you couldn't have left a letter or something? Do you know how worried we had been for you?" Rangiku demanded furiously.

"That's so typical of you," Hitsugaya said calmly, "to act with your instinct, and not your head." He closed his eyes.

"So what's the scoop with Squad Ten now? Who became the captain?" Isshin asked, anxiously changing the subject.

"I did."

"You did? Little Toshiro, I'm so proud of you! That must mean you finally mastered your Bankai!" Isshin threw his arms tightly in an embrace around Hitsugaya, who was yelling something that sounded like 'get off'. But he truly was proud. He had watched this child flourish in his squad, and had wished he could've been there to watch him grow even stronger.

"Captain Shiba, let go of me!" Hitsugaya grumbled unprofessionally. "I'm not a child anymore!"

"You'll always be one to me. I'm never going to forget the little, accountable, third seat that you were."

That earned a small smile from the current tenth squad captain.

"Enough." Rangiku interrupted the interaction between the two. And she was fuming. Every part of her essence was burning with rage that you could sense from miles away.

"Captain Shiba, I still can't believe you left us. You _abandoned_ us. We still needed you, you know. We needed our captain. The squad was distraught when you left, and the other divisions spoke like they had _expected _it from you. We had sleepless nights, and eventually resigned to the idea that you died. I shed tears over you. You leaving was irresponsible, unbelievable, and desolating." Her stern tone relented, as did her eyes. "But what's done is done."

Isshin blinked. What?

Had he just been forgiven? As immediately as they had seen him, the man who disappeared over twenty years ago, they had just _accepted_ him back into their life?

He felt tears threatening to drop. He had missed the two.

"You guys were my biggest regret in leaving, you know. If I had knew what I was going to sacrifice that day, I would've said goodbye." He told them regretfully.

"I was never angry at you for leaving," Rangiku sniffed. "I was angry at you for leaving without letting us know you weren't dead or something."

"Your shinigami powers- have they returned?" Hitsugaya raised an eyebrow. It was faint, but more obvious than before. "I can sense your reiatsu."

"Yes," he said briefly, and without explanation. "But please don't-"

"Tell your children? Of course we won't." Hitsugaya interjected.

"What? Don't you think that, at the very least, Ichigo should know, Captain?" Rangiku frowned.

"That's not our decision to make, Matsumoto." Hitsugaya retorted.

"But really," Rangiku lowered her eyes, "you've got to stop your habit of not telling people things, Captain Shiba."

"Come on, let's hug it out, like old times." He replied, smiling wistfully at Rangiku's comment. And he knew it wouldn't be the last, either. He understood that he would still be in the doghouse with these two for a while.

But it was enough just to have them back.

"I don't like hugs." Hitsugaya said in weak protest. It was too late. He had been dragged in by the two formerly superior officers, and forced into it. But maybe a hug is okay if you had just reunited with someone whom you had missed a lot. Maybe it was even…nice.

"Where do you think your hands are touching, you pervert!" Rangiku spat angrily, hitting Isshin square on the face.

Things were definitely back to normal, if only for a little bit.

* * *

**A/N: Ahh, c'est finis! I hope you enjoyed that little one-shot. If you have any questions/comments/requests, feel free to PM me. The relationship between these three is definitely one of my favorite character relationships in Bleach. I just love how they all balance each other out! And I would adore it if you left a review (: **

**Also, I'm not really sure if Isshin's shinigami powers had returned to him by then- but I'm going to**** assume (really it's more like pretending) so even though it was like another hundred-something episodes until he finally used them. So I'm sorry if that's not accurate! I spent quite a bit of time re-reading the manga, reading the wiki, and googling for what it was worth. All I could find that was definitive on the matter was that his powers returned to him "20 years later". Again, my sincerest apologies if I got any of the facts wrong in this fic!**

**Thanks so much for reading!**

**Lia**


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